Time to Share a Book!
Prep:聽2 Minutes | Activity Time: 3鈥4 Minutes聽
During this phase of development, your baby will begin to show interest in sharing a picture book with you. As your baby鈥檚 vision develops, she is able to recognize brightly colored illustrations and bold photographs. You can foster her awareness of objects on a page by choosing books that have pictures of objects, animals or people that interest her. You will have fun introducing your baby to bright illustrations and encouraging her to help turn the pages.鈥疉ll of these experiences are helping your child on her鈥痳eading readiness journey.
- A鈥痗hunky board or fabric book with simple illustrations聽
Step 1:聽Choose a book or family photo album that has pictures of objects that interest your baby. For example, if your baby enjoys animals, choose a book that has bright pictures of farm, zoo or forest animals.聽
Step 2:聽Sit comfortably with your baby in your lap. You can also lie down next to your baby so that she is able to see you turn the pages of the soft or chunky book.聽
Step 3:聽Focus your baby鈥檚 attention to the picture on each page and talk about what you see. Comment on the colors, shapes and items in the picture. For example, if there is a picture of a barn on the page, comment on the door, window, roof and anything else displayed in the picture.聽
Step 4:聽Encourage your baby to point to the picture. For example, you might say:
鈥淲here is the cow?鈥澛
Step 5:聽Let your baby help you turn the pages.聽
Step 6:聽Babies at this age are often in constant motion, so keep your book sharing sessions to short intervals of three to four鈥痬inutes. Enjoy these short sessions together and try them several times throughout the day!聽